Sunday, February 04, 2018

EPIC has filed an amicus
brief with a federal appeals court urging the court to reject a
proposed
class action settlement over Facebook’s practice of scanning
private messages. EPIC challenged
the settlementbecause
it did not require Facebook to stop scanning private messages.
In fact, the company can continue scanning messages by simply
burying a notice on its website. Also, there was no compensation to
Internet users for the prior violation of federal and state laws.
EPIC is dedicated to class
action fairness in privacy cases and has objected to many similar
settlements that failed to provide actual benefits to Internet users.
EPIC recently opposed a settlement
with Google that allows the company to continue tracking web
users. EPIC also opposed a settlement
with Facebook in 2014 that allowed the company to continue an
unlawful practice.

How to beat Netflix? No special deals here,
Netflix was concentrating on other things.

Netflix is
getting crushed in India, and it's all because of Amazon and Hotstar

… Hotstar, for instance, has the digital
rights to HBO shows in the country, and streams Game of Thrones
episodes the same day they air in the U.S. That's obviously a huge
pull, as is the fact that Hotstar has exclusive rights to stream
cricket and football games in the country.

Then there's the issue of pricing: the base tier
of Hotstar is free (albeit with ads), and there's a single premium
tier that costs ₹199 a month ($3). For that price, you get access
to over 40 HBO shows, which in itself is a pretty great deal. The
service serves over 200 U.S.-based shows in total, not to mention a
dizzying array of regional programming.

Will this drive small businesses off the Office
suite? (There are viable free alternatives that are entirely
compatible.)

… When Office 2019 comes out later this year,
Microsoft will support it only on Windows 10, the company said this
week. Organizations that want support for the new version of Office
on Windows 7 or 8.1 must buy a subscription to Office 365. These
moves will push IT to migrate to Windows 10 and ensure that any
holdouts pay up for Office 365.

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About Me

I live in Centennial Colorado. (I'm not actually 100 years old., but I hope to be some day.) I'm an independant computer consultant, specializing in solving problems that traditional IT personnel tend to have difficulty with... That includes everything from inventorying hardware & software, to converting systems & data, to training end-users. I particularly enjoy taking on projects that IT has attempted several times before with no success. I also teach at two local Universities: everything from Introduction to Microcomputers through Business Continuity and Security Management. My background includes IT Audit, Computer Security, and a variety of unique IT projects.